Oswald in the doorway: the blog of the Oswald Innocence Campaign, by Ralph Cinque

The universities reopened in Afghanistan, and now there is a divider between men and women in the classrooms. Of course, this is being derided in the U.S. and Europe as a violation of women's rights. I don't know that it's any worse for the women than it is for the men though. And I am reminded of the saying about the glass being half full or half empty. Because: if the last time the Taliban was in charge females couldn't attend university at all, then I'd have to say that the glass is half full here.    

I'm not saying that I approve of this, but it's a a hundred million times better than being at war. And at the core, it's not based on misogyny. It's based on religion. They think that this is what Allah wants. Afghanistan is now a country in which government and religion are intertwined. It is a theocracy. And we don't like that. We think there should be separation of Church and State. And so do I.  But, before we criticize them too much, let's remember that they've got their religion, and we've got ours. Ours is predominantly Christianty. It's not officially the State religion, but you know very well that it has a powerful influence. It's no accident that Presidents like to be seen going to Church and totin' the Bible.

And don't forget George W. Bush who is a big religionist. 

That's amazing. The guy was running the country and leading the Free World, as they like to say, and he had time to get into the Bible every day? There are probably preachers who don't get into the Bible every day. And what effect did it have on him? It led him to wage war on two impoverished nations and end the lives of millions of innocent people, including men, women, and children.  And the truth is that at the time he launched the wars, most Church leaders in the U.S. supported him. I distinctly remember hearing a prominent Christian leader explaining on the radio why it was our moral duty to attack Iraq.  

So yes, it's pretty archaic and medievalist what's going on over there in Afghanistan, and it doesn't seem right for the 21st century.  When are these people going to let go of the past and stop being ruled by ancient dogmas?  When are we?